


That Deep Dark

by Tobiroth



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dubious Consent, M/M, Mind Control
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2019-03-09 20:23:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13489065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tobiroth/pseuds/Tobiroth
Summary: Just outside Midgar is an archaeological dig site.  The scientists out there, like Cloud's friend Zack, think they've found an underground city, or perhaps the Ancients, or maybe even something else, something more sinister.  Cloud nearly falls through a hole at the site, but someone (or something) pushes him out, with grave consequences.  Now there's a man in Cloud's head, and what he wants, he gets.





	That Deep Dark

**Author's Note:**

> For day 2 of sefikura week - the prompt was 'Puppet.' You can find the other parts on my tumblr (username: modeoheim). Thanks for reading.

There's a man in Cloud's head.

He first came at night, when Cloud was sore and tired, leaning over the railing outside his apartment. It had been billed as a 'scenic balcony' online, but really it was about four inches wide. It was admittedly nice if he stood barefoot on the carpet of his bedroom and leant out, like he was doing now.

The summer air was nice on his skin; he was still cooling off after his shower which had been hot enough to scald. He'd been crusted in dirt, the odd scrape or two packed in with dirt as well. That day he'd been at the dig, the one just outside Midgar in the wastes. He was no archaeologist, but his friend Zack worked on the project, and there he was, crouching in some dirt, joking about how his buddies at the garage wouldn't believe he'd been part of this, even if just for one evening. It was all anybody in town talked about these days.

Dozens of people were here, chiseling at rock and brushing away soot. There was a whole city deep under Midgar - that's what they were saying. They'd hit something hard, like some kind of… giant barrier, or a plate. And beneath that…

Well. People far smarter than Cloud would find out.

Cloud shuddered as he looked down at the street. He was on the fifth floor in a very tall apartment complex. He wasn't that high up compared to some others, but the street seemed far away… the drop suddenly turned his stomach, as he remembered how his foot had, accidentally, punched through something that felt as thin as paper -

\- and then he was falling, clutching at the sandy, rocky earth as he seeped through it like quicksand, his legs kicking fruitlessly in some sort of air pocket beneath them, or some kind of cavern, or some kind of  _something,_ whatever it was, it had terrified him.

The ground still didn't feel quite steady under his feet. No doubt swarms of scientists were investigating the place where Cloud had almost fallen through to his death at this very moment.

 _ **Back,**_ was the first word.

Actually it wasn't even really a word. It was a feeling.

Back away from the window.

Cloud gasped, panting, standing closer to his bed in the middle of the room, his eyes wide. The city seemed blurred, almost -

_**Sit.** _

Cloud sat.

The next order came quickly after. He obediently closed his eyes.

There wasn't time to question what was happening - it was happening in this moment, a voice inside and around Cloud, something he was powerless to ignore.

And then, suddenly.

A person stood between his legs, which were bent at the knee over the side of the bed, the bottoms of his feet on the carpet. They stood close; Cloud could inch his head forward a bit… and then, yes, he could rest his forehead against their stomach. Hard muscles. Shirtless?

The permission washed over him: he was allowed to touch.

His eyes closed, trembling, Cloud's hands came up to grasp at the hips of this person. (How did they get in?)

Cloud sensed amusement. This was funny?

The body felt normal, but there was this enormous pressure on Cloud, like a headache without the actual pain, just this… compression of everything. More gravity? His hands roamed up and back, coming to rest on something hard and soft protruding from their back. Feathers.

"That's right," came a physical voice, close to his ear, making Cloud shudder. "I'm not human."

The orders crashed over Cloud again:  _ **Turn over.**_

He did, and a strong hand fell to his back, pushing him up his bed. And the thing was -

\- that hand felt  _exactly_ like the one Cloud swore he felt earlier, pushing him up out of that cavern, or whatever it was, and back towards the sunlight and his friend Zack who frantically grasped at him, trying to pull him back up and out of the hole.

It hadn't been possible for someone to push him up to safety though - he'd been dangling, like treading water in an immensely deep body of water.

_**You remember.** _

The figure pressed him into the mattress. They were bigger than him, and lying down, stretched out long and warm on top of him. Cloud's breath came quick, in small pants, his eyes still shut tight without permission to open them. He wasn't crushed at all but it felt like an actual ton sat on top of him; he had no hope of fighting it off.

Then, slowly, an arm wrapped around his waist, and Cloud was maneuvered onto his side.

Snuggling up behind him like a lover, like a caring Big Spoon, the creature murmured into his ear, "I saved you. You are very much mine now."

A knee slid between his. Cloud was cradled in warm, strong arms and a wing now.  _ **You may open your eyes.**_

His bedroom seemed darker than before… like the man behind him was absorbing some of the light in Cloud's apartment. The bedspread, the pillow… the same as always, but now with dark feathers draped across them. Cloud was terrified to turn his head, to glimpse this Thing in his room.

"Go on," came the voice, devastatingly deep, a bit gravelly. It made Cloud shiver.

He rolled around in their hold, unable to think about doing anything else. Bright eyes met his, glittering like jewels in the darkness, pupils slit and watching him with amusement… amusement and enough possessiveness to make Cloud's cock throb and his stomach clench in terror at the same time.

Silver hair, and lots of it. Grayish skin. High cheekbones. Naked. A wing, and just the one, ink-black.

"What are you doing?" Cloud rasped, finding his voice finally. The words churned slow and thick in his mouth like butter. "What do you want?"

"You don't know how my people work." The man's hand came up and brushed some of Cloud's hair off his forehead. Tender. "You almost fell down; I helped. Now, I will have you."

"What…"

Cloud couldn't find the words to continue. The man pressed their foreheads together, and then Cloud was lost in those green eyes, swimming in them, shuddering in either fright or bliss.

And then it was morning, and it was all gone.

* * *

"That was scary yesterday," Zack said, coming to meet him on his lunch break.

"Yeah."

Zack leant across the table, which was stained with grease and oil from old projects and nicked from dozens of tools. He poked Cloud's sandwich. "Hey. You're a little out of it. Finish your food, Spike."

Cloud shook his head slightly, smiling, and nodded. "Thanks. I guess I am a little bit out of it." He took a big bite (Zack had brought it for him, so it was only polite) and after chewing said, "That scared the absolute shit out of me."

"No kidding! One second you're just standing there, and the next I just see your head and arms. Who knows how deep that hole is - if you'd fallen…"

The memory of his legs dangling above what felt like an infinitely deep void made Cloud cringe. Did he mention how it felt like someone had helped Zack get him back out - had pushed him? That experience from last night, too…

...Clearly he'd been traumatized by falling through, and he needed some rest. Zack would probably take him to a therapist right this moment, all good intentions and beaming smiles, but Cloud needed some time. He did not tell Zack about the man in his head.

"When I get back, we're investigating the area around where it happened. Carefully, because obviously any one of us could fall through too, like you did… it was scary, of course, but I think you moved our investigation along quite a bit." Zack grinned at him, and Cloud did his best to grin back.

"Well, glad I could help, even if it was just through me being clumsy."

"I'm gonna let you in on a little secret," Zack said, gesturing Cloud closer. "Some people - they think we found the Ancients."

That was religious stuff - only twenty percent of the continent believed in them. Zack nodded at Cloud's skeptical expression. "Yeah, I know. Don't think I believe it myself - but that's all anyone can talk about at the dig. Can you imagine?"

That would be wild.

When Zack left Cloud mourned it for a few moments; his best friend being around had made him feel normal, or as close to normal as he could be. He'd been stuck in his thoughts all day.

His co-workers were all still at lunch or off today - it was a slow day. Cloud put his gloves back on and lowered the visor on his face shield that protected his face when welding. A gutted motorcycle engine sat on a table, a good distraction from his whirling thoughts.

_**Stop.** _

Cloud killed the flame, dropped his tools, pushed up his visor. What?

He was supposed to stand and move away from the table. Somehow Cloud knew this. He did so.

By the trunk of a car parked by a rig and waiting its turn to be worked on:  _ **Up.**_

He hopped up onto it, the car's suspension rocking slightly to accommodate his weight. He suddenly felt seventeen again, sitting on the back of Tifa's car with her under the stars in Nibelheim, drinking beer and talking about how much they hated their shitty hometown.

Close your eyes. Open your eyes.

When he did, the Thing was there. Again. Smirking at him -  _real_.

"Yes," he answered Cloud's unspoken question, "I am real. For you, anyway."

What did that mean…?

He wasn't about to answer. His hands fell to Cloud's thighs. With Cloud sitting up here and the man standing, all that silver hair was falling down to tickle Cloud's arms and hide the rest of the garage. He really was… beautiful, in a scary kind of way.

Those unusual green eyes bored into Cloud's, filling his mind with green static.

Cloud had never wanted to be kissed so bad in his entire life. His eyes drooped, his head tilting upwards. The man was smirking, amused, like before, and he placed his hand on the side of Cloud's face before granting his wish.

His mouth was hot and his tongue - oh, dear - forked, like a snake's. It made Cloud gasp, whether in surprise or sudden revulsion, but he didn't (couldn't?) pull away. There were soft lips and that hand cradling his face and a cocoon of green around him.

Wetness - and desperation, Cloud gasping in air through his nose as his mouth was plundered, his breath stolen. The man moved closer and Cloud clutched at his chest, still bare, like yesterday.

His legs were spread now, and Cloud tipped back on his tailbone as the man curved his back and leant forward. His eyes, which had closed at some point, opened when the hand pushed past his suddenly-undone fly and slipped under the waistband of his underwear to grasp his cock.

Yeah, he wanted to get jerked off. Why wouldn't he?

Cloud blinked though, and got the presence of mind to ask, softly, even as his core trembled with the first few strokes, "What's… your name?"

The lips on his throat and jaw retreated for a moment. Their foreheads pressed together again. He did not respond physically - Cloud found the answer in his head.  _ **Sephiroth.**_

"S-Sephiroth," he stuttered. He wanted to come so badly.

Sephiroth whispered, "Good boy," before capturing his mouth again.

Cloud came fast and hard, his legs shaking and squeezing Sephiroth's waist. He whimpered when Sephiroth stood back up and put space between them, some primal noise that embarrassed him.

In a whirl of feathers, Sephiroth was gone. A couple rich black feathers on the floor was the only evidence he had been here… that and the mess in Cloud's pants and the tingle of lips that had been kissed a little too hard.

* * *

The next week was awful. Cloud was supposed to focus on his work, and especially on the news, which was all about the discoveries coming out of the dig outside the city.

Zack texted him updates about it, but Cloud rarely found the energy to respond, listless and preoccupied.

Sephiroth hadn't come to him again since the encounter in the garage. The week had been spent on edge, waiting for him to appear again - only to be disappointed repeatedly. Really, Cloud knew he should be glad, because Sephiroth was  _trouble,_ he understood that.

Whatever those archaeologists were uncovering beneath Midgar, it was bad news. Sephiroth was part of that, surely - but it was hard to believe he was some kind of… non-human? A man with a wing? Who had the ability to get in and scramble Cloud's brain, to make him  _ache_ for Sephiroth, even though they'd only met twice, and even though Sephiroth terrified him?

Sometimes Cloud had moments of lucidity, where the green fog in his head faded enough for him to panic, to get scared and realize something was wrong, that he was being targeted by some bizarre creature, and that he needed help or protection. It always passed quickly, making his yearning for Sephiroth stronger afterwards.

Zack called him late one night, as Cloud sat in his kitchen pushing his dinner around on his plate in the silence. "You won't believe this," Zack greeted.

"Huh?"

"The place where you fell in - we got in too. Get this - it was only a hole about six feet deep! If you had fallen you would've been totally fine!"

That… couldn't be right.

"But Zack," Cloud protested, shaking his head, "Somehow I knew - it was lot deeper than that."

"I mean, you were scared. I was too. It was really shadowy in there - it looked dark enough to be some huge drop, but it wasn't. Lemme tell you, I feel better - I've been worried sick thinking about you falling in there. Of course, everyone on the team is frustrated, because we thought we hit something big…"

"Zack," Cloud interrupted. "It really felt like someone helped me back out. You pulled me up… and it felt like I got a push, too."

"Spike," Zack responded after a long moment. His voice was so soft and understanding it hurt. "It was scary, you know? I don't know what to tell ya. A lot happened in those couple seconds."

Zack didn't believe him. And why would he? A six-foot drop? A small little hole in the ground, and not some kind of endless maw? What was happening?

"Well, thanks for telling me. Keep me updated, okay?"

"Of course. And hey - let's do dinner this week. You've seemed really stressed lately."

"Okay," Cloud agreed quietly.

"'Kay. Bye, Spike."

"Goodbye Zack."

He placed his phone on the table, frowning at it.

Then he whirled around - because Sephiroth was there in the doorway. He wore clothes this time, just pants, tight and black, and he looked… tired?

His hair was pulled back into a ponytail this time, and his eyes seemed a bit duller.

"Sephiroth."

"That was no easy task," Sephiroth said, nodding at Cloud's phone. "I'm exhausted."

This was the closest thing to an actual conversation they'd had. "It wasn't six feet deep."

"No," Sephiroth answered, holding out a hand for Cloud to take. "It wasn't."

He led Cloud to his own bedroom. Sephiroth stretched out on the bed, and with a snap of his fingers his pants disappeared, leaving him naked. His cock was half-hard already, and Cloud couldn't help but stare at it, his mouth suddenly watering.

 _ **Strip,**_ Sephiroth told him, without his mouth moving at all.

Cloud was too shy to do this kind of thing usually. But when Sephiroth's voice was in his head he had no option but to comply; he peeled his shirt over his head and stepped out of his pants, wobbling on each foot because he kept his gaze locked on Sephiroth's.

When naked, he crawled up the bed and came to rest on Sephiroth's thighs, sitting there, his hands splayed on Sephiroth's stomach. He was just gorgeous - lean, hard muscles. Cloud wanted him so badly.

Sephiroth had his arms folded behind his head. "I know you do, Puppet. You'll have me."

Excuse me? Puppet?

Sephiroth did not call him that again, but he also did not elaborate. He glanced down at his cock, hardening, with Cloud there, nude and ready for it. Cloud understood he was meant to blow him.

Cloud scooted back, now perched on Sephiroth's shins, and curved his back, lowering his head until he could hold the dick in one hand and take the head into his mouth. It was soft in his mouth, warm, and he swirled his tongue around the shape of it, flicking out against the tiny slit in the center.

Satisfaction rolled off of Sephiroth in waves. Cloud felt it inside his head.

He'd never been very good at blowjobs but he tried now, relaxing his throat and taking Sephiroth down as much as he could. Drool wet his lips and made everything sticky-slick. Everything was warmth and wetness.

The command came soon:  _ **Up**_.

Cloud sat up straight, panting, his jaw sore, but smiling through it; he was glad to give someone as impressive as Sephiroth some pleasure. Sephiroth shifted them, turning and pushing Cloud up the bed. His hand came down between Cloud's shoulder blades, at the same place he'd pushed Cloud back up to safety, and he pushed Cloud's head and shoulders down into the mattress.

His ass was in the air, his toes clenching in uncertainty. Cloud turned his head, his cheek to the bedding, and peered back as best he could as his bottle of lube appeared in Sephiroth's hand, disappearing from the bedside drawer. Sephiroth truly was amazing.

The fingers inside Cloud made him groan and shake, slick and twisting, loosening him up, preparing him for Sephiroth's cock. When the bluntness of it pressed there Cloud reached awkwardly down to stroke himself, breathing out softly.

When Sephiroth was seated fully inside, Cloud understood - he was helping Sephiroth like this, giving him some kind of power, making him strong again. He'd spent a lot of energy fooling those scientists. Being of use - it made Cloud clench around the cock in him, rock his ass back to take more even though there wasn't any more to give.

Sephiroth's hands fell to the curve of his hips. He had long nails, and they pressed into his skin. He snapped his hips forward.

 _ **Cloud.**_ Sephiroth did not moan Cloud's name out loud, but Cloud felt the sentiment inside. It felt as good for Sephiroth as it did for him. Cloud inched back and forth on his blankets with the push and pull of Sephiroth fucking inside and then pushing Cloud back up even as he withdrew slightly, just to thrust in again. The blond groaned, free in a way he'd never been during sex before, drowning in sensation and the color green.

He let himself relax his spine and focus on the sensations of getting fucked, not how he looked with his neck and head awkwardly taking the brunt of his body weight. He moaned Sephiroth's name and each time he did he was rewarded with a purr of satisfaction, even though Cloud couldn't tell whether the sound was in his head or audible in reality. It didn't matter; Sephiroth was feeling good.

Sephiroth pounded him hard, and the tired set of his eyes and shoulders gradually faded. He was strong and formidable, curled over Cloud, rutting into him like his cock was made to disappear inside Cloud. He murmured to Cloud, telling him that he was beautiful and that eternity would be a blessing, so long as it was with him.

Cloud paid very little attention to it all, seeing green behind his eyelids, only able to vocalize his pleasure and stroke his cock. When he came his whole body shook hard, his muscles going taut and then stretching - and then relaxing as his strength failed him.

Sephiroth kept his hips up all on his own, his powerful arms maneuvering Cloud's body how he wanted it. He continued to fuck Cloud, keeping the same pace as before, seemingly unconcerned that Cloud had already come. Cloud didn't mind; he wanted Sephiroth to use him until he came too.

When Sephiroth did, his wing stretched out, filling the room, and flapped hard. Cloud's alarm clock and some of the things on his dresser toppled to the floor, breaking, but Cloud didn't care because some kind of powerful creature was pumping his ass full of cum and grasping his hips and holding on to him desperately, like Cloud was important to him.

Was he?

Sephiroth spooned him like he had that first time. He kissed the shell of Cloud's ear, both points of his tongue flicking over the shell of it. Gratitude washed over Cloud from the other. He'd done well.

Was there anything else he could do, to help Sephiroth?

* * *

The answer came the next night. Cloud had been getting ready to go to bed, but then his orders came. Sephiroth wanted him to go to the dig site.

He jammed on boots and a light coat. His motorcycle had more than enough fuel to make it there and back at least twice. The highways were fairly empty this late at night; Cloud made good time.

The dig site itself was off-limits, obviously. Cloud parked just outside it and went the rest of the way on foot. There were car tracks everywhere from reporters and curious people during the daytime. When Cloud came with Zack they'd been allowed past this first checkpoint.

_**Around back.** _

Cloud took off on foot, following the outside of the fence. He could see some lights on past the fences; people were there, of course. Perhaps just security, or perhaps people working late into the night. Sephiroth appeared in a swirl of feathers when Cloud had gone far enough. He held up a hand and part of the fence dissolved before Cloud's eyes.

_**Go on.** _

Cloud crawled through the gap in the fence. When he turned around the hole was gone and everything was as it had been. Sephiroth was ahead of him now, waiting beyond a hole in the next fence. Cloud followed, not nervous about being caught; Sephiroth wouldn't let that happen to him.

Instead of moving towards the main dig site, where Cloud had fallen before, they went to a small trailer. Zack spent time in here researching and documenting. The door was unlocked.

There were people inside. They were… asleep, though, draped awkwardly over their tables like they'd fallen asleep instantly. Cloud turned to Sephiroth, who was close behind. He looked strained and sweaty.

_**Hurry up.** _

Cloud had to torch the notes sitting on the table between them. Carefully, so he didn't disturb them, Cloud gathered the papers and the small laptop between them as well. A weight settled into his pocket - a lighter. Sephiroth wiped his forehead.

The paper on top, though - Cloud recognized that handwriting. Zack.

The green fog lifted a little. He looked at Sephiroth, who was comfortably naked surrounded by sleeping archaeologists. Why hadn't that bothered him a moment ago? "Why am I doing this?"

"We can't have them finding out about me, Cloud," Sephiroth said, and the way he said  _Cloud_ made something inside him thrum happily. His head felt cloudy again.

"Okay," he said. He stepped outside and smashed the laptop, stepping repeatedly on it until it was a mess of splintered metal. Then he lit Zack's notes on fire, frowning as the paper curled and crackled, but not stopping it.

_**Come.** _

Now they went to the dig site. There were cameras somewhere, weren't they? Would people see him? Were the others nearby sleeping too, like the ones in the trailer? It was down a great many steps carved into the dusty rock. The last time Cloud went down these stairs, with Zack, it had been daytime; now he slipped down the bottom three and fell on his knees. Sephiroth watched him get back up, nodded approvingly, and walked with him to the hole.

There was caution tape all around it, and a great many mechanical instruments around. Floodlights illuminated the area; Cloud ducked under the tape and walked into the wide circle of light they offered.

It didn't look six feet deep. The hole had been widened and was now about four feet wide. Footprints were all around it, from folks examining it over the past few days.

Sephiroth sat on the edge, his legs hanging down. Cloud watched him, frozen to the spot, feeling the hot lights make sweat drip down the back of his neck. Why had Sephiroth brought him here?

He answered audibly. "I'm closing this portal between my world and yours. You fell through by accident, and we can't have it happen again, can we?"

"...No," Cloud answered slowly, shaking his head. "That's no good."

"Mm." Sephiroth smiled at him, his hair radiant under all this light, and dropped down.

Cloud gasped, rushing forward. Sephiroth wasn't far though - he was hovering a few feet deep, his powerful wing beating, pushing him in lazy circles.

_**They all just woke up. You should hurry, before you get caught.** _

Cloud heard noise behind him. Security?

Sephiroth held out his arms. He'd catch Cloud. He had to seal this hole up for good.

Cloud clenched his fists, trying to think clearly. "...Zack will be okay?"

_**Of course. Frustrated that his research will lead nowhere, but he will stay unharmed.** _

Would Zack miss him? Probably. It was hard to think about that though, with Sephiroth waiting for him, waiting for  _Cloud,_ and not anybody else. The urgency in his head increased. He had to go.

"Hey!" came a voice from behind, "It's not safe - get back!"

Cloud jumped.


End file.
